MIDFIELDER Mehdi Nafti has revealed the key role he is playing in Birmingham City's survival bid even though he is currently out of the starting line-up - as an interpreter.

Former assistant manager Eric Black's multi-lingual skills were crucial in communicating with City's foreign players before he joined Steve Bruce at Wigan.

Now Tunisian star Nafti has taken on the mantle of helping players such as Argentinian striker Mauro Zarate settle into the club through his ability to speak four different languages.

Nafti said: "Eric Black's departure had an effect on me because now I have to translate all the time. For example, Olivier Kapo's English is as bad as when he first came here.

"Now the manager brings in Argentinian players and I have to speak Spanish as well to translate. I am not sure if next season I am going to ask for a contract to be assistant manager! I speak English, Spanish, French and Arabic.

"But, in all seriousness, if I was in a position like Zarate, I would like someone who could help me every day in terms of communicating and going through the little details.

"The lad is going to be more confident in the changing room if he understands everything and will probably be better on the pitch as well as a result of that. Even if it is only a small detail, it might help him if he understands."

Nafti believes Blues are missing the skills of the currently-injured Kapo but in Zarate he insists they have an ideal replacement to unlock opposition defences.

He said: "Mauro is very young but he is a top-quality player and he will help us a lot. He is like Kapo in that he has got something different about him.

"It can help. At a given point in a game, Mauro can do something different and make the difference - like Kapo can do as well."